How one mother’s business journey became a masterclass in life skills
By: Unathi Shologu
“I couldn’t approach people I didn’t know, and I couldn’t speak publicly. I used to have such low self-esteem because of my background and growing up in an environment where we struggled as a family.”
These words, spoken by Nomthandazo Nyondo just five years ago, are hard to reconcile with the confident businesswoman sitting across from me today. At 36, this mother of two has transformed from a shy, introverted employee afraid of public judgement into a six-figure entrepreneur who mentors others and leads public training meetings with ease.
Her journey with Table Charm (TC) began in August 2019, but it was during the COVID-19 lockdowns in March 2020 that Nyondo truly grasped the power of the opportunity she had stumbled into. What started as reluctant participation became a full-scale life transformation, teaching her skills that stretched far beyond sales and marketing.
THE MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED
“Hayi bo! I don’t even earn this amount at my workplace that I go to from Monday to Friday.”
This was Nyondo’s reaction when a TC distributor first showed her rebates totalling R18,000, more than she earned in her formal job. It was a wake-up call: while she was trading hours for wages, others were building sustainable income through strategy and relationships.
But the change wasn’t just financial. As she built her business, Nyondo unknowingly developed a powerful portfolio of transferable life skills:
COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC SPEAKING
Once too shy to speak to strangers, Nyondo now coordinates regular opportunity meetings and mentors a growing team.
“In May 2021, ndathatha isibindi [I plucked up the courage] to coordinate a collective meeting to teach people about building a business,” she recalls. “I was terrified, it was uncharted territory for me.”
That first meeting may have been daunting, but she forged ahead with determination. With each presentation, her confidence grew. She learnt that communication, like any other skill, improves with practice and intention.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
In the early stages, Nyondo struggled with online criticism. “Coming from formal education, with peers in conventional jobs, there was a negative perception when I posted products online,” she explains. “I had to hide certain people from my posts just to protect myself.”
But she learnt to separate feedback from self-worth. “What others said used to matter, but then I saw other TC consultants succeeding, and I decided to change my thinking.” That shift, from seeking external validation to finding internal motivation, is a life skill that continues to serve her.
STRATEGIC THINKING AND RISK ASSESSMENT
In 2020, when her now husband proposed and asked her to move from East London to Cape Town, Nyondo faced a complex decision. She had to weigh career prospects, financial stability, and family obligations.
Her response reflected sharp strategic thinking. She began earning R3,800 in her first month as a business builder, enough to contribute financially without placing additional pressure on her partner.
“I wanted to get married but didn’t want to burden my husband with supporting me and my mother,” she says.
Resigning from her job and relocating to Khayelitsha in November 2020 brought new challenges. The environment was unfamiliar, crime concerns affected her sales approach, and even her husband initially resisted her public marketing style.
Still, Nyondo adapted. She tailored her methods to fit her surroundings while staying true to her business ethos.
“I use social media to market my business, I host opportunity meetings, and I share real-life testimonials,” she says. Her ability to pivot while remaining authentic has become one of her greatest strengths.
GROWING THE BUSINESS, GROWING OTHERS
By 2021, the results were clear. Nyondo and her husband bought a house using savings built up even before her business journey began, but her TC income gave those savings momentum as she could see herself acquiring more assets if she buckled down and did the hard work. More importantly, she empowered others, equipping her mother with the skills to become an executive manager.
Her income progressed from R9,000 to R11,000, then surpassed R20,000 as an executive manager. After becoming a distributor, she earned R50,000 in her first month and R100,000 in her second.
While the numbers impress, they only tell part of the story. Along the way, she honed leadership, team-building, goal-setting, and financial literacy, while helping other women do the same.
Today, she also contributes to the NPO Injongo Yethu, which provides food, clothing, and care for vulnerable women and schoolchildren.
THE HEART BEHIND THE SUCCESS
“I’m not someone who inflates myself when talking about how I’ve reached my business and financial milestones,” she says.
“I believe in building the person first. Help them believe in themselves. A lot of us grow up in poverty-stricken places, and people need to be shown that they too deserve a beautiful life. That they can achieve what they want, and that it’s okay to have a positive outlook.
“Prayer works for me. Sometimes things happen and I know God is working. I say to Him, ‘I left my career to build this business. If I fail, how will things look when I’ve told people this business will change their lives?’”
This reveals another crucial quality: accountability. Nyondo knows that her success isn’t just personal, it carries the hopes of others she’s inspired.
“If you had told me when I joined TC that I’d be a six-figure earner, I would’ve disagreed completely.”
Her story challenges the false divide between ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ skills, between life and business. In her world, they’re intertwined. The courage to speak to strangers becomes the courage to advocate for your family.
Nomthandazo Nyondo stands as proof that business building is human building. And the skills developed on the path to financial freedom can lay the foundation for a life of purpose and lasting impact.